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James Allen Quote on The Portals To Heaven and The Kind Of Strength That Will Take You There

    “To live continually in thoughts of ill will, cynicism, suspicion, and envy, is to be confined in a self-made prison hole. But to think well of all, to be cheerful with all, to patiently learn to find the good in all – such unselfish thoughts are the very portals of heaven; and to dwell day by day in thoughts of peace toward every creature will bring abounding peace to their possessor.”

    James Allen, As a Man Thinketh

    Beyond the Quote (190/365)

    The people who put you through hell aren’t strong—they’re weak. And this isn’t an attack on their character, per se. They may be weak through no fault of their own—they might be a product of their environment. After all, if you grow up in hell how does one not carry feelings of hell with them? It is no easy feat to make your way from hell to heaven—but, that’s the point. It’s hard. It requires deliberate daily effort. It requires strength. People who are in heaven and treat others in “heavenly ways”—they are the ones who are strong.

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      “Very few go astray who comport themselves with restraint.”

      Confucius, via Stillness is the Key (Page 163)

        “To have an impulse and to resist it, to sit with it and examine it, to let it pass by like a bad smell—this is how we develop spiritual strength. This is how we become who we want to be in this world. Only those of us who take the time to explore, to question, to extrapolate the consequences of our desires have an opportunity to overcome them and to stop regrets before they start.”

        Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 118)

          “The people with the best self-control are typically the ones who need to use it the least.  It’s easier to practice self-restraint when you don’t have to use it very often.  So, yes, perseverance, grit, and willpower are essential to success, but the way to improve these qualities is not by wishing you were a more disciplined person, but by creating a more disciplined environment.” ~ James Clear, Atomic Habits

            “Willpower is like a battery, at least in the short term.  If it is depleted, future challenges will falter.  This is a fundamental insight.  Self-control is not available around the clock.  It needs time to refuel.” ~ Rolf Dobelli, The Art of Thinking Clearly

              “Freedom is born of self-discipline. No individual, no nation, can achieve or maintain liberty without self-control. The undisciplined man is a slave to his own weaknesses.” ~ Alan Valentine

                “It takes courage, of course, to step out of the fray, as it takes courage to do anything that’s necessary, whether tending to a loved one on her deathbed or turning away from that sugarcoated doughnut. And with billions of our global neighbors in crying need, with so much in every life that has to be done, it can sound selfish to take a break or go off to a quiet place. But as soon as you do sit still, you find that it actually brings you closer to others, in both understanding and sympathy. As the meditative video artist Bill Viola notes, it’s the man who steps away from the world whose sleeve is wet with tears for it.” ~ Pico Iyer, The Art of Stillness

                  “The principle of fasting is taught in almost all major world religions as a means of developing a higher level of self-mastery and self-control, and also a deeper awareness of how really dependent we are.” ~ Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit

                    “Surely what a man does when he is taken off guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is.” ~ C.S. Lewis

                      “Don’t fight with yourself.  Then you have one less enemy.  How can you control anyone else if you can’t control yourself?” ~ Chow Hung-Yuen

                        “Nothing external to you has any power over you.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

                          “A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough.” ~ Bruce Lee

                            “Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.” ~ Buddha